


Do it More Often

by SnappleNinja



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Character Study, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Cloud still isn't much of a talker, Coping, F/M, Fluff, Heart-to-Heart, Kalm (Compilation of FFVII), Romantic Fluff, Slow Burn, Teasing, but he sometimes makes an exception for Tifa, instincts, uh how do i tag again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:21:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28596867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnappleNinja/pseuds/SnappleNinja
Summary: Cloud is aware of at least most of things Tifa is doing to him.  The close companionship, the longing glances, the smiles she reserved for him.  Their best messages to each other are those left unspoken, passed along by eyes, lips, and brushing hands.He's still trying to figure her out.(Oneshot)
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart & Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Comments: 4
Kudos: 80





	Do it More Often

**Author's Note:**

> The only Final Fantasy game I've played is both versions of 7 lol, but hopefully that shouldn't be an issue. I've never written for this fandom either but hey why not.
> 
> *cough* Cloti is literally invading my YouTube feed *cough* (not that I'm upset or anything lol)
> 
> Reading any kind of fic where the characters are OOC is usually a big turn-off for me (minus a few AUs, but even then, it doesn't feel right) so I really hope I did Cloud and Tifa justice the best I could. Feel free to leave constructive criticism, that is, if anyone even ends up reading this lol
> 
> And, yeah, this takes place when they're at Kalm right after the events of Remake but before jumping into anything spoilery that Remake hasn't touched on yet. I wouldn't be surprised if Part 2 moves Kalm until later in the story to make room for an epic opening scene elsewhere, but for now, this is snuggled nicely somewhere between Remake and OG lol. If that makes sense.

Sleep had only decided to pull them down at the most unexpected of times. Cloud tried to remember just when and how they had decided to stay the night at the inn, but here they were. Barret had made his case firm before that he only had the intention of heading out immediately to chase after Sephiroth, and Cloud felt the same way. Yet, for some reason, they’d all stayed.

Maybe it was Aerith who had recommended it. After all, the non-stop action and running around didn’t seem to come her way all that often compared to the three AVALANCHE members housed inside with her. She probably had a more normal sleep schedule than anyone else in there, including Red, who’d been by himself in the corner of the room since before Barret wanted to leave. Cloud figured he had taken her advice at some point – probably agreed that they’d be in no shape to fight anyway if they didn’t rest for a little while.

Somehow, Cloud doubted that they’d thought of staying the whole night, but here they were. Moonlight shone through a small window on the furthest wall. The soft glow glazed across Cloud’s bare shoulder from where he was lying on the floor. The lack of any incline or blanket was something he’d gotten used to by this point, but a part of him did briefly long for that bed in his bare apartment in Midgar.

 _It’s gone,_ Cloud thought bitterly to himself, rolling onto his side. _Suck it up._

The room was quiet, save for the occasional snore from Barret, who slept closest to the window. Red seemed to be a silent sleeper from over in his corner, and Cloud hadn’t heard Aerith make a sound.

A faint rustling of sheets and tired, quiet groaning interrupted the silence. Cloud rolled onto his other side and extended his neck a bit to try and look over top of the bed closest to him. With only the glow of the moon to illuminate the source of the sound, the figure began slowly sitting up, their upper body sliding up against the bedframe and their head resting against the wall. Long black hair fell like a veil past two bare shoulders.

Cloud winced, but he couldn’t figure why. _Tifa_.

He stayed still, not making a sound, but his eyes stayed focused on the woman slowly looking around the room. Cloud could only barely spot Tifa’s tired red eyes peering around in the dark. Her arms slowly reached from the bed up past her head, her back arching a bit as she finished a lazy stretch. As her body relaxed, Cloud averted his eyes.

Too late.

“ _Cloud_?” her voice came as a whisper, softer and fainter than he’d heard her before. Or, at least, as far as he could remember. The weird gray area in his memory still frustrated him, but he didn’t have the conscience to worry about it this late at night, and with his childhood friend calling him in the dark.

Upon his lack of a response, Tifa gently shifted in bed, bringing herself just a bit closer to the edge of the mattress. Her hands reached across and down to grip the edge, her upper body leaning forward to get a closer look. Cloud could more clearly see not just her eyes, but her entire face. Something about the way her eyes appeared somber and the way her lips slightly quirked gave Cloud the feeling that she hadn’t just woken up randomly.

“Cloud? You know I can see you looking right back at me, right?” Tifa added a hint of amusement to her hushed tone, but not enough to drown out something else.

_Worry?_

_Hesitation?_

“Hmm?” Cloud quietly grumbled awkwardly, his left arm reaching back to scratch the back of his neck. “…oh. Yeah.” After a few quiet moments, he added, “It’s me.”

“I had forgotten you were sleeping on the floor,” Tifa sighed, her lips finally curving into a small smile rather than a frown. She eyed him over for a bit, her left eyebrow raising as she watched him almost _painfully_ rub his shoulder against the hard floor as he struggled to readjust his position. “Doesn’t look all that comfortable. Have you gotten _any_ sleep?”

Cloud’s eyes widened just a bit, his mouth hanging open only to softly grunt and dip his head. Why’d he always have so much trouble being honest about such a small thing?

“Hmm,” Tifa continued to whisper as her fingers drummed against the corner of her bed. “Your face says it all, Cloud. You know, we could trade spots for just a little bit if you wanted…” As she noticed inner conflict dawn on Cloud’s surprised face, her shoulders fell inwards and she gently cleared her throat. “Or maybe not. I understand you’re just being a gentleman.”

Cloud almost smiled at that, but the title just felt so weird to him. So many things she said to him left him confused and sometimes mildly flattered. But mainly just confused.

She seemed to get more and more comfortable with _teasing_ him too, as time went on. Like now, when the corners of her lips curled upwards just a bit and he could catch a hint of amusement in her eyes. She still appeared sad underneath it all, but to anyone who knew her any less, Tifa was a professional pretender.

She was either complimenting him for acting like a gentleman, or using the title as a means of teasing him. Maybe it was both? Cloud shook his head. Women – no, _people_ – could already be so alien to him sometimes, but it was Tifa who kept him guessing the most. After thinking about it for a moment, Cloud resolved that it may not be a bad thing.

“There weren’t enough beds for all of us,” Cloud gently shrugged his shoulders, his voice evening out. “Simple as that.”

Tifa bit her bottom lip thoughtfully. Cloud had come to know this look a bit too well at this point. “You didn’t have to be stubborn about paying a bit extra to have the other room next door. A bit more gil, yeah, but at the end of the day, at least you’d get some decent sleep.” There she was, going back to frowning again, and it somehow made Cloud’s insides stir.

“Its fine,” Cloud responded simply, looking down at the floor.

An almost inaudible sound passed through Tifa’s lips before she caught his eye again. “You say that a lot, Cloud.”

His mouth straightened into a line. He knew she was worried about him before, but after all the times he’d clutched his head in pain, plagued by visions and headaches he hadn’t confessed to anyone, including her, telling her he was just _fine_ and brushing off her concern didn’t really work anymore. He thought back to their long day of finding work back at Seventh Heaven, when she’d wanted him to tell her about his life after leaving the village. It was clear that, like any old fond friend, she really just desired to know what he’d been up to since the last time they had been face to face. She let him off when they were with Biggs and Wedge, but once back in her apartment, _alone,_ she wouldn’t let him avoid the question.

The chances of her feeling the same way about his headaches were pretty high. Most of the time, they always happened when it was more than just the two of them. Barret. Aerith. Sometimes, Barret _and_ Aerith. Cloud had a thought in the back of his mind that Tifa was just waiting for a time when she was alone with him, like _this_ , to urge an explanation from him.

Thankfully, she seemingly pushed the hovering question away for the time being and stuck a thumb out behind her in the direction of the bed closest to the window. “You could always try kicking Barret out of bed.” There she was joking around again, but Cloud feared that her smile would fade away as quickly as it came.

So he joked along with her. With a sound of amusement just _barely_ making its way past his throat, Cloud said, “You kidding? I probably couldn’t lift him up on my own if I tried.”

Tifa’s eyes sparkled for a moment and she continued to smirk. “Really? I’ve seen what you can lift, Cloud. I think you’re _plenty_ strong.”

Cloud’s eyes danced around the room for a moment, hoping she couldn’t see a bit of red tease his cheeks. _Just another compliment,_ he told himself. _Don’t be weird about it_. So he nodded his head, but still made no move towards Barret. “Probably.”

“The least he could do to you is punch you in the face,” Tifa joked, laughing quietly.

Cloud rolled his eyes tiredly. “That’s the least, huh?”

“Oh, don’t worry about him,” Tifa assured Cloud, shaking her head. “Barret’s warmed up to you quite a bit since we got you two introduced. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now.”

To that, Cloud had to agree. It was a miracle the man hadn’t tried blasting his brains out with a dozen rounds of bullets by now. “I guess I have to admit, Barret is…” Cloud trailed off as he watched Tifa’s face, starting to quickly change his mind about using any foul language about the man. Barret meant a lot to her, and a part of Cloud cringed at just the idea of talking ill about him with her listening. He cleared his throat. “…he’s a character.”

Tifa laughed again, this time watching Cloud more thoughtfully before hooking her legs out from under the sheets and turning herself to be sitting fully on the edge of the bed. She was still wearing her normal clothes, as was he, since this whole night was so unplanned from the start. Cloud wanted to be careful with their gil, making sure to save it for important purchases, and Tifa understood wholeheartedly.

 _At least her outfit looks somewhat comfortable for bed,_ Cloud thought to himself. Then again, he'd slept like this back at Seventh Heaven and felt just fine. The lack of a bed apparently did make that much of a difference.

Cloud noticed Tifa reaching down for her boots and he shifted instictively. "Where are you going?" He asked, his voice slightly raising and earning a puzzled look from Tifa when his arm outstretched to her. Something briefly washed over her face - _a blush…? No, of course not -_ and Cloud pulled his hand back.

"Sorry. Habits," Cloud stammered. "Its a SOLDIER thing." _No it's not you IDIOT-_

Tifa laughed again. "Care to elaborate?" She watched him expectedly, her carmine eyes piercing him for longer than he cared to admit.

"No," Cloud responded simply. Truly the smoothest of replies.

"Okaaaaaay," Tifa scrunched her nose a bit, thankfully not realizing or at least not _acknowledging_ how the simple facial movement caused Cloud to hitch his breath. "Anyway, if you must know," she started, leaning back down to put her boots on, "I'm going out into the town for some fresh air. I can't really sleep anyways." She stood to her feet, sliding off the bed, and Cloud followed soon after to stand beside her.

"I'll come with," he said with the implication being that it was an offer rather than an order, although his tone gave off the wrong idea that he meant the latter.

However, Tifa being Tifa seemed to think nothing of it and offered a gentle smile. "Oh...okay. I guess if we both can't sleep, we can both get away for a little while, right?" She turned towards the wall and grabbed something, dropping it at Cloud's feet: his boots. "With any luck, we can at least find a decent park bench to help that poor back of yours."

"Really, I'm fine," Cloud insisted, quickly putting on the boots. 

"We'll see," Tifa challenged softly, shooting Cloud a knowing look before heading out the door and into the hallway.

* * *

After wandering around Kalm for a little bit, checking in on the various closed shops and businesses, Cloud and Tifa settled on a small yet well-crafted park bench, just as Tifa had suggested. Like most of the town, the bench served as living proof of the hard workers that lived here.

The gap between the two of them seemed to get smaller each time Tifa shifted her legs just a bit, but Cloud swore that was just his imagination. He wished he could understand why he thought of her this way so much more frequently now. After the Shinra Building, the situation had never been more dire, yet Cloud kept finding himself distracted by Tifa's longing glances or the way it sent a jolt through him whenever they touched.

He had a feeling there were things about her he didn't remember - things that maybe she would know but he could never ask about if him forgetting it could upset her. Tifa had said back in the slums before that he was scaring her. She said something about his eyes, and he'd shifted the blame to the Mako, yet he later realized that wasn't what she was trying to bring attention to.

Cloud hated considering it, but he wondered if there was more to he and Tifa's friendship that was locked from his memory, sealed behind another headache. Either way, he was sure she'd still be taking him by surprise.

"Thanks for coming with me," Tifa spoke up, her voice beckoning the ex-SOLDIER from his inner thoughts. She turned to meet his eye, smiling sadly as she did. "I don't want to sound selfish, since we've all endured a lot recently and have had a lot on our minds, but...it's overwhelming."

"What is?"

Tifa waited before answering, "Coping with it all. Moving on. Making some kind of sense out of it all, I guess." Her right hand had come to rest on her knee, and Cloud noticed briefly how her fingers nervously dug into her stockings as she talked. 

"I just keep my head in the game and focus on the objective," Cloud explained simply, totally not feeling hypocritical since the woman seated beside him was living proof that he was _not_ always a one-track mind.

Tifa hummed softly, her eyes looking at nothing in particular as she looked straight ahead. "You make it sound so easy. It's only been a few days, Cloud, but there's so much to come to terms with now…"

"Starting with what?"

Tifa turned to him with a puzzled expression before she gently broke into a smile. "Taking it one piece at a time. Good idea. Well, first of all, I-" she broke off suddenly, appearing somewhat embarrassed. "I mean, only if you want to hear me rant for a while. I know you didn't come out here for me to dump all that on you." Her hand reached up to pull a few strands of striking black hair behind her ear.

"No, it's fine." Those darned words got a skeptical look from Tifa. "Really. I mean it."

She sighed with relief. "Thank you. I guess, first of all, I'm still broken up about the slums. Seventh Heaven. All the poor people down there who got killed when they did nothing wrong…"

"I thought you were taking it one thing at a time," Cloud pointed out, hoping he didn't sound as cocky as that sentence weirdly made him feel.

Tifa nodded quickly. "Yeah. Right. This is harder than I thought, I guess."

"The bar," Cloud reminded her. "Start there."

Tifa opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out, and she quickly closed it. After a while, finally, "What's there to say about the bar that hasn't already been said? It was, in a way, a shelter and an escape for those living in despair. The gang all hung out downstairs. I'd get drinks ready for everyone almost every weekend. God, Jessie…" her voice cracked.

"Hey, stay on track," Cloud interrupted awkwardly but with purpose, his right hand resting down on the bit of bench between them. "The bar. To you."

Tifa pursed her lips. "To me?"

Cloud nodded. "To you."

"There were days when I could call it home. Sticking around there for about five years gets you pretty attached."

The 'five years' didn't seem to register quite right in his brain for some reason. Five, seven...where'd the seven come from?

"At the end of the day, it was just a bar, I guess," Tifa finished, and Cloud hoped he hadn't missed what she had previously said. "A great one, but losing it isn't the end of the world...I’ve already been thinking of what color to paint the walls when I build a new bar. You prefer working with wallpaper or good ol’ paint?”

“Hmm?” Cloud’s eyebrows furled.

“When you help me and Barret with getting set up, silly,” Tifa gently elbowed Cloud as friendly teasing, but the ex-SOLDIER instinctively brought up his hands in a readied position, pulling away from her. He barely stayed like that for two seconds before feeling totally embarrassed and relaxing his arms.

Tifa’s eyes were sad again. “I…I’m sorry. I know you’re probably not used to non-violent contact, what with being trained for battle and all.”

Cloud grunted. “It’s fine-“

Tifa gave him a look, and Cloud decided to rephrase that.

“Right, sorry. Just…don’t sweat it, Tifa.”

“I hate to ask, but…” Tifa started, practically burying her chin in her neck as she hung her head away from Cloud’s eyes. “…that’s why you were so uncomfortable about the hug, right? When I ended up crying over that flower you gave me?”

Cloud stifled a snort. “I think it was about more than the flower.”

Something in Tifa’s gaze seemed to say that he was only partly right. “Well, yes, I was exhausted and overwhelmed, just as everyone else. A lot happened, and it really wasn’t until then that I got a quiet moment to think about all of it.”

Cloud nodded.

“So, I’m right, then?” Tifa continued, her head finally perking up. A few stray hairs fell across her face, and she quickly tucked them away. “You only started hurting me because it wasn’t something you were used to.”

“O-of course. I wouldn’t hurt you on purpose-“

“I know.” Tifa’s gentle smile returned for a bit. “It’s kinda cute, though.” Cloud nearly choked. “I’m guessing you don’t get people hugging you and crying in your shoulder too often, huh?”

Cloud inhaled. “Uh…no.”

“Sorry again about that,” she managed.

“No need to apologize,” Cloud insisted.

The two held eye contact silently for a few still moments, with Tifa looking into his Mako-stained eyes for a while. Cloud could have sworn she was actually looking for something in there. Finally, she turned away, slightly blushing, and Cloud turned as well. They both faced forward, unsure of what to say now, yet the silence between them was almost comforting. Something about just being near Tifa was assurance enough that he could relax and not be so tense. She did that to him often now. Her company was something he nearly melted in.

Tifa’s hands curled up on the edge of the bench, her shoulders tightening inwards just a bit. Her legs pressed closer together and she was looking downwards again.

Cloud turned, and she looked back up to meet him, smiling more than he’d expected. She gave a breathy laugh, sounding a bit nervous but welcoming at the same time.

“This is nice,” she mused, her eyes looking over at the inn across the street. “It’s a shame we don’t get moments like this anymore.”

Cloud nodded silently. For her, it had been at least a week. For him, it’d probably been a year. Quiet moments spent on a bench weren’t a luxury most ex-SOLDIERS and mercs had.

“Seriously, though.” Tifa gave Cloud a grin. “Wallpaper or paint?”

She laughed, and Cloud found himself laughing back. Based on her reaction, it seemed he’d surprised her.

“I think that’s the most emotion I’ve gotten out of you yet,” she teased. “And definitely the biggest smile.” She pointed a finger at his mouth, and Cloud clamped it shut. “Aw, really? You gotta ruin it so soon?” Her arm extended further, and before Cloud could argue against her touch, she stuck her pinky finger against the left corner of his lips. “C’mon. Lemme see it.” She began slowly forcing the corner up, and Cloud argued with her for a few moments with his eyes before caving. As Tifa kept pushing the corner higher, scrunching the left side of his face comically, the other corner curved upwards on its own.

Tifa laughed. “There it is. I knew you had it in ya.” She brought her hand back down to rest on the bench between them, but her eyes never left his mouth. “It almost looks _wrong_ this way, but I like it.” Her carmine eyes moved back to his own blue. “You should smile more often.”

She wanted to see him smile. Despite himself, he mentally made a note to make it happen more often, if only to see her happy. _What the heck is wrong with you, Strife?_ Swallowing his embarrassment, Cloud shrugged his shoulders. “And scare Barret to death? It’s the last thing he’d expect.”

“I wouldn’t put it past you,” Tifa remarked, and he could practically see her mentally envisioning the scene. “You know, that’s one way you could take the bed from him.”

“No thanks,” Cloud shook his head as he pictured a barrel held at his head.

"Well, if you won't agree to taking turns with my bed, maybe we can head to a shop around here and find some blankets." She leaned forward, holding up a finger thoughtfully. "Better yet, perhaps they have sleeping bags."

"Uh…"

Tifa got to her feet then, waving for him to follow. Cloud hesitated, but the inviting and even somewhat childlike smile Tifa was giving urged him off of the bench. For a moment, it was like he was back in Nibleheim again, sharing his plans to leave and become a SOLDIER to a young girl in a blue dress. 

Cloud liked thinking back on fond memories, but he despised the feeling of loss and emptiness whenever he noticed something else escaping his memory. Still, he hardly had time to be upset about it before stubbornly trudging along-

"This is probably the best place to look," Tifa called to Cloud, turning around to see that he had fallen behind. "Hey, you okay?"

Cloud hesitated. "...yes?"

Tifa's look of concern didn't disappear, but she nodded anyway and waited for him to jog his way over. "I was saying that we should be able to find something in here. I heard from Aerith that she noticed carpets and possibly some blankets."

They both entered, leaving a bell on the top of the door to announce their arrival. The woman at the counter looked up from a magazine of some sort, and then motioned them over. "Top of the mornin."

Tifa bit her lip. "That late, huh? I guess I never bothered looking at the time before leaving the inn. Did you?"

Cloud shook his head. "No, I just figured it'd only been a few hours." He paused as his eyes scanned the dozens of shelves behind the counter. "Never went to sleep anyway."

"Right. But we're gonna fix that." Tifa turned to the desk lady, flashing a warm smile. "Hi, we're looking for something soft and comfortable for him to sleep on. A sleeping bag or a cot at best, but we can settle for some blankets if that's all you have."

The lady hummed. "Sleeping bag, hmm? I'll see what I have in the back." As she departed into another room, Tifa sighed in relief.

"They have something. I'm sure of it."

"You seem more concerned about it than me," Cloud remarked, folding his arms.

"Well, someone's gotta do the talking between us," Tifa shot back with a smirk. "And besides, I know you're too stubborn to go out and buy your own cot."

"I was trying to save money," Cloud insisted. "Not because of merc work, but because you never know when we'll need it. This could be a long road until finding Sephiroth."

"We should have enough," Tifa shrugged off the idea. "Besides, I'm only using the money I know I had before throwing it in with yours."

"Wha-? Ngh…" Cloud made a few more confused sounds before speaking. "You threw your gil in with mine?"

"No harm done, right?" Tifa meant it more as a statement, but she seemed to be searching him for a catch. From behind her, she pulled out a pouch for him to see. Tifa's face slightly reddened with a tinge of guilt.

"That's my money bag," Cloud's eyes widened. "When did you…?"

Tifa lowered her face. "I grabbed it from your gear pile while you were putting your boots on. I had a feeling you'd make me leave it behind unless I snuck out with it." She sighed. "Pretty stupid, I know."

"No, its just…" Cloud groaned, running his hand down the side of his face. "When did you get the time to mix our gil together?"

"When we first got to the inn," Tifa admitted shly, hugging her abdomen. "Right after you checked in, you slid the pouch to your belt, but I carefully grabbed it just in time. I was kinda surprised you didn't notice. After putting my money in, I reattached it to your belt from behind when you were straightening out the sheets for me and Aerith."

Cloud's face was a mix of confusion and awe. "I thought you were reaching past me to open the window."

"That was what I was hoping it looked like, anyway," Tifa shrugged. "I can take it back if its a big problem. I remember the exact amount and-"

"No. It's fine." Cloud looked down at the bag before nodding his head. "Could be a good idea. Fewer pockets to dig through for extra gil, I guess."

"My thoughts exactly."

"I found this out back," the desk lady called as she reentered with a long blue bag in her hands. She placed it on the desk, looking at both Cloud and Tifa separately. "I'm told it's 'one size fits all' but I've had complaints before."

"Is this the only size?" Tifa asked.

"One size, like I said. We've never sold anything different."

Cloud examined the sleeping bag cautiously before seeing the distance with his hands. "It'll have to either be a perfect fit or it's too small. Kinda impossible to tell for sure."

"You want to get blankets instead then?" Tifa asked, her eyes already scanning the store.

"No, it'll do," Cloud shook his head. 

"Eighty gil," the counter womam spoke almost mechanically, as if she had become far too comfortable with saying the same things over and over. It didn't bother Cloud - he'd seen people with far worse habits - but Tifa noticeably stepped back with cautious eyes. Finally, the bartender nodded.

"Alright," Tifa trailed off before pulling the money bag back out and taking out a small amount of gil. She pressed her hand to the counter, leaving the gil there as she pulled away. 

"Have a nice day," the lady spoke with an even tone before turning away.

Tifa gave Cloud a look that clearly said, _"please, let's get out of here as quick as we can"_ and he agreed wholeheartedly, starting to walk and leaving room for Tifa to walk just ahead of him.

Tifa looked over her shoulder just for a moment at Cloud's careful arm sweeping up to shield her from behind - if only for a moment - and she smiled. Even if the only danger was a shopkeeper with a robotic personality, Cloud's instincts would kick in to protect her from harm. The arm fell back to his side as they shut the door behind them and were invited back into the dark night, but the implications of Cloud's concern hovered unapproached between them.

He knew she could take care of herself. He knew how much ass she could kick. And yet, his first instinct was still to shield her.

If Tifa wasn't trying to keep things from getting awkward between them, she would have been freely blushing and smiling way too much.

 _There's an even bigger softie in there than I thought,_ Tifa beamed at the revelation. 

"So," she broke the silence finally as they came to a stop at the center of town. "As much as I enjoy the fresh air, we should probably be getting some sleep, yeah?"

Cloud shifted the sleeping bag underneath his arm and nodded. "Yeah. Guess we're both kinda defeating the purpose of staying the night in the first place."

Tifa laughed softly. "I guess we are." Silence fell between them for another moment before she stepped off in the direction of the inn. 

* * *

Cloud came to Tifa with his problem not even a whole minute after getting the sleeping bag set up. "It's too small."

Her eyes shone with amusement and she waved down to the floor. "Just...get in and let me see how bad."

Cloud shrugged his shoulders and did what was asked, sliding his legs in and pulling his body through. However, he only got as high as just the space above his stomach. A good deal of his upper body was completely uncovered, and the way his shoulders jutted out amongst everything else earned a giggle from Tifa.

"Oh, my…"

Cloud looked up at her for help. "Any ideas?"

She nodded, sliding off of her bed and stepping over to his pile of gear. With her back turned, she could hear him gently shift into a seating position as her fingers wrapped around the hilt of his Buster Sword. She whipped her head around, keeping his eyes on hers as she asked, "Mind if I borrow this?"

Cloud seemed very confused, but he agreed. "Go ahead."

Tifa mentally counted to three in her head before lifting up the large sword with a huff. Thankfully, her training had given her plenty of individual strength, and the sword was surprisingly lighter than it looked.

She approached the sleeping bag and nodded her head in his direction. "Pull yourself out for just a moment."

"...okay." He did as she asked, and before he could question her on whatever idea had come to her, Tifa used the large blade to cut off the very end of the bag.

"There."

"What was that supposed to do?"

"You can slide your feet all the way through and at least fit your whole upper body," Tifa explained as she brought the sword back over to Cloud's gear, doing it quietly as to not wake the others. 

"I...that's actually not a bad idea," Cloud nodded, sliding back in. His feet stuck out a bit comically, but the situation was ultimately more bearable. "Thanks."

Tifa nodded and got back into her bed, rolling onto her side so she could still see him. "If your toes get cold, my offer to share the bed still stands." The words were out of her mouth before she could think about them.

Cloud's eyes widened. He swallowed hard. "Uh…"

"I mean share as in we can trade spots," Tifa hurrierly corrected herself, her voice raising a bit too much for someone who was just trying not to wake a whole room of people. "Y-you could take my bed for a while and I could take the bag. Sorry, that...sounded wrong."

Cloud was making more uncomfortable sounds before nodding quickly. "Of course that's what you meant. We both just…"

"Misinterpreted it," Tifa finished nervously. "Yeah. Anyway, we should go to sleep. If you wanna trade spots, just wake me up."

Cloud's eyes seemed to respond, _"if you're peacefully sleeping, I wouldn't wake you."_

Tifa knew as much, and especially after a slipup like that, he'd probably feel even worse about asking for the bed. So she offered a shy smile and closed her eyes.

Barret's gruff voice suddenly filled the room. "Listening to you kids fumbling around like lovesick teenagers is painful to my ears. Get your own goddamn room."

Tifa gasped, sitting up. "Barret, you...you were awake the whole time?"

"Damn straight!"

**Author's Note:**

> Barret swearing convinced me to raise the rating to a T. Could've kept it out, yeah, but I STRIVE for character accuracy here lol


End file.
